“If a man who wishes his wife to be with him while he is
out hunting in the woods, he needs only tell her that on such a day they will
go to such a place where he will hunt for a length of time, and she will be
sure to have provisions and everything else that is necessary in complete
readiness, and well packed up to carry to the spot. The woman, therefore takes
charge of the baggage, brings it to the place of encampment, and there
immediately enters on the duties of housekeeping, as if they were at home. She
moreover takes pains to dry as much meat as she can, that none may be lost; she
carefully puts tallow up, assists in drying the skins, gathers in as much wild
hemp as possible for the purpose of making strings, carrying-bands, bags and
other necessary articles, collects roots for drying; in short, does everything
in her power to leave no care to her husband but the important one of providing
meat for the family.”

I wrote an article called "On Meat Alone" some time back with historical documentation to back it up. In a long term wilderness living situation, especially in the cooler parts of Australia, it is I think reasonable to expect to be eating more meat than anything else. My purpose was to show that this is possible.Here is some more interesting info on this subject: In 1940, two German Geologists escaped nazi Germany & hid in the African desert, this was Henno Martin & Hermann Korn. They lived on mostly meat for two years with no problems, until Hermann Korn started to suffer from a vit B deficiency & had to turn themseves in to the African authorities. They gleaned a lot more insight from their two year stay in the desert, & it makes good reading, even if it is not the main story. This info can be found in the book "The Tiger" by John Vaillant. This book is worth reading.

Friday, 25 May 2012

Well..... just when we thought this stupid "Ammo Bill" could get no worse, we received a tip-offthat the Firearms Registry were in panic mode altering the Permits to Acquire forms as a result of an....errrr......."error" (?) in the drafting of the Bill. (See Borsak's Question without Notice, and the Police Minister's dismissive reply below)The Bill contains a provision whereby a Permit-to-Acquire ( PTA) can be used as evidence that you "intend" to purchase a firearm, and therefore satisfies the proof needed to buy ammunition for that calibre/cartridge.Who-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-psssssPTAs don't currently have any designated firearm listed, just the category.So now, the clever people at the Registry, intend to require that you SPECIFY what you will buy !!!Not one of these people has ever gone through the process of buying a firearm, particularly a new firearm,in a firearms dealership with HUNDREDS of firearms on display.The stupid "28 day" PTA bullshit is bad enough as it is. You MAY or may not have chosen a particular individual rifle,but more often, you just know that you want a particular Category, but at the time you actually have your PTA,you may well have missed the sale, changed your mind, seen a better deal, or otherwise be flexible as to what you will buy.Then we have the second-hand market, and the various on-line sites that abound. In those cases, most shooters get the PTA first, then take the 60 days available to hunt for a "deal".Under what is now proposed, you will need to specify calibre and cartridge when you lodge the PTA.......and if you change your mind, that means another $30, another PTA.... and probably another 28 days.YOUR letters , and YOUR pressure on the marginal Liberals, and all the Nats, has definitely got the Governmentinto the "delay" mode.Particularly now that Richard Torbay and Greg Piper have made it clear to the Government that they will "force" a recording of the votes....thus exposing all the big-noting Nats that are.... errr... "threatening" to cross the floor".

So please..... if any of you 5,200 souls on this newsletter list, haven't yet emailed, phoned, or better still...visited....your Local Member, please, please....

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Providing you do not have any nasty chemicals in the water, A tight weave cotton or linen bag should suffice to clean dirty water. Just make sure you boil it after filtering.

I cary these three bags specifically for filtering dirty water. Two of them are used together; one inside the other for very murky water.

Even my kettle bag could be used to filter water.

Food bags can be used to filter water.

A kettle can be used to collect rainwater or carry water from its source. It is also needed to boil water to purify it. Scoop the water up in the bag/s and run the water through the bag into the kettle. Don't forget to top up your water bottle once the boiled water has cooled down.

Always carry a water bottle with you. You can't always be sure to find water when you need it. When you find water, you need something to carry it in. Always top up your water bottle at every opportunity.

As you know this is primarily a not for profit blog, meaning I get no payment for advertising. But once in a while I come across a good trader and I think it is useful to make them known. This is one such site. I have had no dealings with this person other than asking him questions, which he very kindly answered.

Saturday, 19 May 2012

I camped in the Snowy Mountains one winter. We found an old cabin, cleaned all the animal manure out, repaired the chimney and moved in.

"

. . . though not ready to shrink from difficulties and not unwilling
to encounter adventures, I did not think it prudent to contend with the
inclemency of the approaching winter in an inhospitable position among the
mountains; when I recollected that the month was May [1852], and that in the
month of March preceding, a party of Aborigines, coming from the Murray River to
Maneroo, were overtaken in a snow storm, and that, whilst one man was severely
frost-burnt and crippled, two others were completely smothered in the drift,
within a short distance of the very spot upon which I and my party encamped on
the 22nd and 23rd December, 1851 (Clarke
1860:221).

Friday, 18 May 2012

I can understand your comment Conrad, though I think it misplaced. You obviously have a downer on guns and I can assume that you are not a gun owner yourself. However, there are legitimate uses for guns, for sport target shooting, for historical reenactment, Living History, and ferral pest erradication. The use of the gun in the latter instance reduces the use of poisons, & therefore benefits the environment & saves native animals.

Government gun laws are not designed to reduce guns in the hands of criminals, they do not hamper criminals. Criminals have no gun license & totally ignore gun laws. Only we legitimate gun owners pay the price for ineffective firearms legislation. I am definately pro gun legislation if it will hamper the criminal use of firearms.

What we need is higher penalties for the misuse of firearms. Do you honestly think that banning the ownership if a single barrel single shot flintlock muzzle-loading gun will hamper any criminals?!!! Think about it in a sensible way Conrad, don't be taken in by legislation simply made to gain your vote in the next ellection. Lobby for stricter penalties for the misuse of firearms, fines, imprisonment, loss of firearms & loss of licence. But this will only effect the morons in our communities, it will have little effect on criminals, nothing will.

If the criminals have guns, & we do not Conrad, where do you seriously think that will take us? I am alive today because I legally own a gun, otherwise there is a good chance I would not be here. Do you think you have the right to deny me my life & the ability to defend my family just because you don't like guns?

Dear Sir, I am contacting you to ask you to vote against The Firearms amendment ( Ammunition Control) Bill 2012. This will impact on legitimate gun owners in the country. This may also have further implications. By the wording of this bill it implies that registration is ownership. Does this mean that if anything happens to me that my family will no longer have control of our firearms? This sort of legislation will have no effect on criminals, this is just another move to get votes & we legitimate gun owners are the ones to pay the price. You are surely smart enough to see that this sort of legislation will not stop gun crime. What is needed it heavier penalties for crimes committed, not more & more legislation that makes it harder & harder for legitimate gun owners. Very sincerely, Keith H. Burgess.

northerntablelands@parliament.nsw.gov.au

This legislation if it goes through will mean that my wife, a licensed gun owner, will no longer be able to purchase ammunition without paying a $30.00 fee for a permit to purchase! This legislation implies that my wife no longer ownes her own gun, because I was the one to register it!!! Think about this, they are coming in the back door again! Please write your local member & ask them to vote against this legislation before it is too late, whether you are a gun owner or not. Regards, Keith.

My thanks to my good Friend Mopoke for this video, I love it. This is what I did with my own boys all those years ago. What better video to promote 18th century Living History and show what we are about.

Sunday, 13 May 2012

There are variations in frock styles, but the most common are the Shirt Frock 1680-1830, and the Hunting Frock 1770-1780.These dates are not exact, the Shirt Frock started to appear Pre 17th Century and was still in use in the early 20th century in a Frocked form.The Frilled Hunting Frock did not exist as far as I am able to tell before the American Revolution, and did not appear to be as popular as the European Shirt Frock, not is there any evidence that it remained in use for very long after the Revolution period.

Friday, 11 May 2012

The early morning dew collected in the month of May was believed to be very beneficial for the Ladie's complextion. It was collected in any way possible, often with a cloth and then rung into a container. The container was kept in the home, and the contents spread over the skin with the finger tips. This was then allowed to air dry on the skin.

FIREARMS AMENDMENT (AMMUNITION CONTROL) BILL 2012The Hon. ROBERT BROWN [9.08 p.m.]: I refer to the Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Bill 2012, and attendant the regulation, which was passed by this House yesterday in a filthy deal between the Coalition and The Greens to do over the law-abiding firearms owners of this State. Shooters should be concerned about this new attack on shooters by the Liberals and, by default, The Nationals and The Greens. This regulation is simply a new tax of $30 on each person who now needs to apply for a permit to buy ammunition. There was no need for this regulation because there was no need for the bill. Observant members might have noticed that the regulation was dated 27 March 2012. Apparently this little fiasco was held over until yesterday to hide it behind the Federal budget media coverage. Every government acts in that way—Labor and Coalition. They dump out bad news or play politics on budget day; this Government is no different.This regulation provides for persons holding a firearms licence to apply for a $30 ammunition permit to allow them to purchase ammunition for a firearm they are licensed to use but that is not registered to them when the person is a member of the same household as a person who has a firearm of that calibre licensed to them; or the person is employed or engaged by a person who has a firearm of that calibre licensed to them, and it is part of the first person's duties to purchase ammunition for that firearm. The regulation also provides a general power for the commissioner to issue an ammunition permit in other circumstances. The regulation provides a way for employees to purchase ammunition for a work firearm and a way for members of a household to purchase ammunition for firearms owned by other household members.But enough of what the Government claims the regulation does do. What it does not address are the problems that will be caused, for example, when a licensed person borrows a firearm with a calibre and they do not already own a firearm with that calibre from a person who is not a member of their household and wishes to purchase ammunition for it, when a person who is driving to a remote property to hunt offers to bring ammunition with them for firearms owned by the property owner, when a licensed person who is a parent of a minor wishes to purchase ammunition for their child to use in a borrowed firearm that is of a different calibre to any the parent has registered to them, when a licensed person who chooses not to own a firearm borrows one for hunting or target shooting, or myriad other situations that have been identified to the Government but ignored.In what appears to be something straight from Yes, Minister, the regulation imposes an additional $30 permit fee to allow already licensed persons to purchase ammunition that they are already authorised to possess under the conditions of their firearms licence. It imposes more work on the Firearms Registry, taking more money from the Police budget for administration, which means there is less available for policing. This raises questions about further costs to shooters. Will an additional $30 be required each time a member of a shooter's household purchases a firearm in an additional calibre and the permit must be amended? That is what happens to firearms owners. We were told that this bill was needed to address the drive-by shootings in Sydney's south-west.The Hon. Dr Peter Phelps: I didn't say that.The Hon. ROBERT BROWN: That is true. This legislation does not address drive-by shootings. If the Government thinks it does, I would like to be provided with the supporting information by the police Minister or the Attorney General demonstrating that they are right and I am wrong. I do not think they will do that because they know this legislation is a political stunt rather than a genuine attempt to stop criminals shooting at each other's houses. This Liberal-Nationals Government will have to live with the fact that it is prepared to deal with The Greens on firearms legislation rather than talk to shooters, or even their own firearms consultative committee. It would have been sensible to do that before introducing the legislation.I do not think the Premier listens to his Nationals Coalition colleagues on this issue. I assure members that we in the Shooters and Fishers Party will be making that clear to people in the bush. The Shooters and Fishers Party no longer believes the Government is prepared to deal in good faith about firearms issues. We will ensure that all licensed firearms owners are aware of this new paradigm of a Liberal-Greens coalition with regard to firearms decisions that the Premier seems to think will work for him. The Shooters and Fishers Party disagrees. In fact, we wish him good luck—and he will need it if he is metaphorically getting into bed with The Greens. Shooters and Fishers PartyPO Box 376 Baulkham Hills NSW 1755Tel: (02) 9686 2396Web: http://www.shootersandfishers.org.au/My thanks to Deerslayer for this informatiom.

This time period is a little late for me, but it is still interesting. In truth the Mountain Man period or its hey day as far as the Rendezvous is conserned, only lasted 25 years, from 1825 to 1840 ad.

WARNING! Much of the information in this video is pure fiction. I have no idea when this video was made, but much of the information is outdated research wise. I knew more than this 20 years ago, and I can offer no explanation for the misinformation in this documentary.

Sunday 9 May 1669."This day I first left off both my waistcoats by day, and my waistcoat by night, it being very hot weather, so hot as to make me break out, here and there, in my hands, which vexes me to see, but is good for me".

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

I read a post written by my friend Karl today, in fact I have posted the link on this blog. While I found his article very interesting, it also served to remind me that some people may still not fully understand what historical trekking is all about.It could just as well be called Historical Travel, because it is all about travelling away from home and what clothing, equipment, tools and skills as well as transport are used to travel.Historical Trekking can include any period at all, not just the 18th century, but until I introduced it to a Medieval friend of mine it was predominantly 18th century. Now members of NEMAS in Armidale NSW are also involved in Historical Trekking middle ages style.But just because we have set ourselves a period of 1680 to 1760, that does not mean that we can't incorporate earlier period items of hardware and primitive skills into our activities, which in fact we do. We learn & practice skills that the natives used at the time of colonisation in the New World, and in deed here in Australia also. The very fact that our group is in New England Australia means that we need to learn all about native fauna and flora and its many uses. Here below is a list of the skills that our woodsrunners, both ment & women, are expected to learn and practice. But this list is only a guide, it does not restrict us from learning many other primitive skills from bark canoe construction to flint knapping and many more.

Woodsrunner’s
Skills.

This
is a list of basic skills in which I personally would expect an 18th
century woodsman or woods-woman to have some experience with.

·Flint
& steel fire lighting

·Wet
weather fire lighting

·Fire-bow
fire lighting

·Flintlock
fire lighting

·Flintlock
use, service & repair

·Field
dressing & butchering game

·Blade
sharpening

·Tomahawk
throwing

·Making
rawhide

·Brain
tanning

·Primitive
shelter construction

·How
to stay warm in winter with only one blanket

·Cordage
manufacture

·Moccasin
construction and repair

·Sewing

·Axe
and tomahawk helve making

·Fishing

·Hunting

·Evasion

·Tracking

·Reading
sign

·Woods
lore

·Navigation

·Primitive
trap construction & trapping

·Open
fire cooking

·Fireplace
construction

·Clothing
manufacture

·Drying
meat & other foods

·Knowledge
of plant tinders & preparation

·Knowledge
of native foods & preparation

·Knowledge
of native plants in the area and their uses for other than tinder and food.

·Scouting

·Basic
first aid

My thanks to Karl for his post, as is often the case we give each other ideas for future posts. I would like to point out that this post is in no way to educate Karl as to what we do, Karl is very aware of our activities and practices many of the same skills himself. Still Karl's post made me realise that many people may not fully understand what we are all about and so prompted this post.

Saturday 8 May 1669

"Up, and to the Office, and there comes Lead to me, and at last my vizards are done, and glasses got to put in and out, as I will; and I think I have brought it to the utmost, both for easiness of using and benefit, that I can; and so I paid him 15s. for what he hath done now last, in the finishing them, and they, I hope, will do me a great deal of ease".Pepys at this time was having a great deal of trouble with his eyes, and bright light gave him discomfort.

This is an original Visard or Vizard mask, once covered with silk on the inside and velvet on the outside. To thype of mask, Pepys had tubes fitted into the eye sockets so as to cut out anu outside light and only allow him to see the page he was reading or writing.

These masks were common wear for women in the 16th and 17th centuries and similar masks were I believe used by men and women in public, in the 18th century in Italy.

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Settlers.

"I noticed particularly, one family of about 12 in number. The mancarried an axe and a gun on his shoulders. The Wife, the rim of a spinningwheel in one hand, and a loaf of bread in the other. Several little boys andgirls, each with a bundle, according to their size Two poor horses, eachheavily loaded with some poor necessities. On the top of the baggage of one,was an infant rocked to sleep in a kind of wicker cage, lashed securely to thehorse. A cow formed one of the company ,and she was destined to bear herproportion of service - a bed cord was wound around her horns and a bag of mealon her back. They were not only patient, but cheerful and pleased withthemselves with the expectation of seeing happy days beyond the mountains"Diary of Presbyterian Rev. David McClure.18th century.

What is Living History?

What is Living History?Living history makes history come to life. To do this members emulate different sorts of people from history. These can include blacksmiths, seamstresses, housewives, farmers, woodsmen and woodswomen. We wear the clothes of the time and learn and use the life and trade skills of the period.What period of history does the NECLHG re-enact ?Approximately 1680-1760 on the New World Frontier.Why this period of history and why a New World lifestyle and not Australian?The New World was settled much earlier than Australia and enables us to choose from a larger variety of nationalities, occupations and skills. All of these options make the activities more fun.Australian settlement was in a later period and founded on a penal colony. There are other re-enactment groups for people interested in the Australian colonial period.Is joining NECLHG expensive?No. There are no membership fees for the group. The activity is only as expensive as you want it to be! Many members make all their own period style clothing and equipment. This is an ideal activity for people who like to make things and be creative.What if there are some items I can not make myself or I am too busy to make?You always have the option of buying or trading for items. People who want to purchase their clothing and equipment can do so; there are many specialist suppliers. Also you can trade for items you can not make .Can my family join this group?Yes we are very family oriented.What is experimental archaeology?This is the term used when someone makes and uses a period tool or item. This can be anything from lighting a fire with a flint and steel to building and sailing a ship on an original route! It is the only way to really discover how things were done “back then”.What is historical trekking?This activity is trekking and camping in an historically accurate manner. People on a historical trek wear the clothing of the period and carry and use only the equipment used in that period. These treks are a great way to learn woods lore and survival skills.What sort of “period skills” can we learn and practice?You can learn and use any skill that was used in the period you reenact. For the mid-18th century these include spinning and weaving on a loom, finger weaving, tomahawk throwing, fire lighting, blade sharpening, leather making and leather working and much, much more.Is the NECLHG a gun club?No. Some on our members may carry a period gun on treks and camps as part of their persona. These guns are flintlock muzzle-loading antique guns or copies. The highest level of safely is maintained at all times. Guns are not carried loaded and all gun carrying members are licensed.What about women members?In the 18th century women performed many traditional and non traditional roles. There were women blacksmiths, naturalists, artists, and woods-women. Some accompanied militia on scouts . In the NECLHG a women can be what ever she wants to be!What about children.?Children are always welcome. Naturally children are the responsibility of their parents. Children really enjoy the living history activities and skills. It is a wonderful way to learn history and it makes their school based history a lot more meaningful. Also children can learn bush craft, survival skills and camping skills.